The second game match up between the UNM Lobo Hockey team against the UCCS Mountain Lions on Saturday was a game full of aggression and fierce competition.
After two ejections and heated fights between the players, the Lobos came out on top defeating the Mountain Lions by a final score of 11-6, keeping their undefeated start to the season in tact to improve to an 8-0 record.
The game started with high energy, as the Mountain Lions looked to redeem themselves and avenge the 7-4 loss suffered at the hands of the Lobos on Friday.
But it was the Lobos striking first again, after left wing Austin Short scored a goal within the first three minutes of the game. UNM center Jaxson Farnholtz followed with another goal shortly thereafter. Just like the previous game, Saturday's contest also saw a 2-1 lead for UNM after one period of play, after Patrick Alldredge of UCCS scored to put his team on the board.
The intensity of the first period carried into the second as well, as the Lobos strung together a flurry of goals in the period to create some separation. UNM totaled five scores in the period, compared to just one from UCCS.
Farnholtz pulled off a hat trick, scoring twice in the period to give him three goals at that point. Defensemen Logan Colyer and Garrett Inman each scored a goal each and Short added his second goal of the night to allow the Lobos to pull away.
The score after two period of play was 7-2 and the five-goal margin proved too great for the Mountain Lions to overcome as they seemed to lack the offensive fire power to keep up with the Lobos.
Players from both teams couldn’t seem to stay out of the penalty box throughout the second period, and the ill feelings continued as things reached a fever pitch going into the final period of play.
Both teams came onto the ice not only figuratively fighting for the win, but also literally fighting. The third period was highly competitive as the offenses combined to score an impressive eight goal in the final frame.
UNM center Marcos Salaz and left wing AJ Goff both had a goal in the period and Short put his stamp on the game, firing through his third and fourth goals of the game.
But matching UNM goal-for-goal wasn't good enough for UCCS. New Mexico cruised to an 11-6 final to start the season with eight straight wins to wrap up a fruitful home stand for the Lobos.
The game was aggressive to say the least, which resulted in two UNM players getting ejected from the game for fighting, one of whom included goalie James Bostian—something the UNM head coach didn't seem to take lightly.
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“I don’t like anyone roughing my goaltender and I’m not opposed to taking matters into out own hands in our own rink,” UNM head coach Grant Harvey said about things getting chippy and the subsequent fighting.
Harvey expressed his pride for his team but also said that to keep the winning streak alive, the team has to be more disciplined, especially since the next six games will be on the road.
The UNM Hockey team will enjoy a well-deserved break before it faces the Mountain Lions again on Nov. 3 and 4 on the road. The Lobos will likely be hoping to continue its hot streak and potentially hit double digit wins and help improve the chances of qualifying for postseason play.
Alanie Rael is a freelance sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She primarily covers men's and women's skiing but also contributes content for football and hockey. She can be contacted at sportsreporter@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AllyRael.
